How to Protect and Secure Your EBook

Okay, so you've written an outstanding ebook and you are now anxious to start selling it across the web. Before you leap into action, however, have you taken precautions to protect your ebook from piracy? As a lot of authors will tell you, unless you take additional steps to secure your ebook, it is highly likely that your profits will be greatly impacted by thieves distributing your work on the Internet.

Ebook Piracy

If you thought that piracy was just for ships at sea, think again. Every day, people purchase ebooks and then freely share them with friends and family members. Some do not realize that this is wrong while others just don't care. While it may seem insignificant for a book to be shared between one or two additional people, think of those one or two sharing it with a few more of their friends and so on and so on. As time progresses, the popularity of a book may surge while the loss of income on these freely distributed copies can be pretty significant.

Aside from people freely sharing ebooks that they've purchased, others will pass it on to interested parties with a price tag attached. That's right. Unless your ebook is properly protected, some unsavory person can purchase it from you and then repeatedly resell your book to others. Usually these conniving resellers offer your book at a lower price, which pulls customers away from your sales, thus affecting your overall profits.

Copyright Infringement

Other times, ebooks are stolen because authors do not obtain an official copyright on their work. As many are aware, once something is written down an assumed copyright is automatically attached. However, an assumed copyright is quite different from an official copyright in that the latter goes a step further in actually registering the work with the U.S. Copyright Office showing the original author as the copyright owner. In so doing, the owner has added protection, which is more easily enforced by the courts should a dispute ever arise concerning a work's true ownership. When it comes to ebooks, authors are particularly vulnerable to copyright infringement, as there are some who will plagiarize the information contained in an ebook and sell your book with their name on it, instead.

Early Ebook Protection is Best

To protect an ebook against either of these scenarios, attention must be given to protecting your work as soon as it is completed. To protect against free redistribution or reselling, specially designed computer software programs and Internet services do exist that will track IP information in order to monitor who is accessing an ebook or will require a unique registration code in order to access it. The costs of these programs vary and, in general, they work very well for their intended purpose.

A Few Cons About Ebook Security Software and Services

However, as an ebook author, you should be aware that many such programs and services require you to log into a control panel and regularly check the status of the ebooks you are tracking. The more popular your ebook is, the more time-consuming this can be, albeit worth it in most cases. Also, careful attention should be paid so as not to accidentally flag an ebook for removal from a person's computer after they have paid. These days, most people own more than one computer. Therefore, noticing several different IP addresses attached to the same book may or may not be a case of thievery. It could very well be that a paying customer has simply downloaded the book on multiple computers for their own access.

Copyright Your Ebook

To protect an ebook from plagiarism, it is highly recommended that ebook authors take the time to visit Copyright.gov in order to register their completed works. For a minimal fee, works can be registered online or via a hardcopy form with the United States Copyright Office. Afterwards, should anyone steal your work, proof exists that you are the legally registered owner. Also, by having an official copyright, should litigation ever ensue, this protection provided may also result in legal fee reimbursement, as well as statutory damages.

Many would-be ebook authors shy away from publishing electronic materials, as they fear the ease in which their work can so easily be duplicated, resold or freely distributed. However, as more and more consumers turn to ebooks to satisfy their information cravings, it is clear that the ebook industry is one that is enormously popular and not likely to wane anytime soon. Those who have concerns about ebook piracy needn't let that concern stop them. It is far better to turn that concern into investigating opportunities and educating ones self on the many, very good options which are available to them for better ebook protection instead.

Discover how to successfully self publish from leading self published authors. Here at Self Publishing Explained we focus on bringing you the most relevant self publishing information. Start now with real life strategies and information by visiting Self Publishingt Explainedto read what people are saying. by Lee Benz

Online Book Launch - Can You Become a Bestselling Author Using the Internet?

Over the last few years a countless number of authors have utilized the power of the Internet to market and sell their books. The question that begs to be answered is this, "Are online book launches a viable way to market your book?"

Absolutely! However, you will find criticism from some who believe this is not a valid way of selling books while others feel this is an incredibly effective way to promote, sell and profit from your book.

With my book launch of The Law of Achievement we sold over $22,000 in a 24 hour period. To say that this is not a viable way to market and sell books is beyond my scope of comprehension.

Every author needs to determine for themselves if this is a good fit.

The fact is, most books never make any money and countless authors do not take responsibility for marketing their books. They write the book and hope it will somehow sell itself. Or they assume the publisher will do all the marketing. Although some publishers will help with marketing, others do not.

Regardless of who publishes your book, the more you know about marketing, online strategies, becoming visible and profitable, the better off you will be.

Setting a success timeline

Giving yourself enough time to handle all the details of the campaign is essential to your success. It is better to take as much time as you need to do things right rather than rushing through and experiencing less than stellar results.

Kathleen Gage

How to Get Your Book Published and Marketed Free

Believe it or not you can get your book published for no cost to you at all. All you have to do is submit your manuscript and if your manuscript is accepted you will not only get published but get paid royalties for your hard work. I know you're saying where are these companies that are willing to risk this no money out of your pocket to get you an unknown author not only published but paid. Believe it or not you are doing them a favor. First of all you are bringing your completed or semi-completed work to them to examine and determine its worthiness to be published. Secondly they will be paid a percentage of the royalty that you will receive from the sell of your book.

One such company is Publish America, Inc. they allow new and unpublished authors to submit their books for publishing they can be found at publishamerica.com. Publish America publishes more new titles than any other publishing company, books are available in both hard and soft covers and if your manuscript is accepted it doesn't cost you a penny. The Publish America website tells you how to submit your manuscript and how you will be paid. There website welcomes new authors, gives submission information , facts and figures, marketing information, copyright information, discusses royalties, book ownership and other important topics. They tell you how long you should wait for a reply from them which usually is 1-2 days initially.

Marketing Strategy

Published.com is a company where new authors can learn how to get published and promote there books. They encourage new authors to make the Published.com Book Directory their first marketing move. This service is totally free with no strings attached. The high page rank of this directory in search engines will help interested readers find your book. Also if you have a website or a blog for your book a link from Published.com can help improve your sites search engine ranking. Published.com can teach you how to get your published book into independent book stores, generate a buzz about your book on Myspace, how to market your book, and how to market your book to online book clubs. Just go to publised.com and get started.

To Do's:
1.) Visit independent book stores in your area and give out free copies of your book, follow up and get stocking orders.
2.) Offer to hold a author event in there store. Partner with them on pre-event marketing and make it fun.
3.) Consider the Book Sense Access Program
4.) Sell your book on Craiglist
5.) Promote your book to U.S. Book Clubs
6.) Use Myspace to promote your book

Craiglist
You can post an ad in every city on Craiglist, but ads have to be different ( and not just a few words moved around ) in order to be accepted. Before you put your ad for your book on every Craiglist city try one or two first.

What is a blog?
A blog is a collection of thoughts personal, private or business , etc. that you would like the world to know.
Create a free blog at blogger.com

Create a G-Mail Account on Google

Press kits
1) Author bio: a) who you are, interesting life story, experience as a writer or expert on your topic
2) Synopsis - one page summary of book , example mood, plot , theme
3) Press release 1 page article that tells who you are, what book is about, info about books publication and any ties to current events
4) Sell sheet - flyer that includes important information about book
Title, cover image, publication date, page count, selling price ISBN, one
Paragraph summary, one paragraph author bio, 1 or 2 reviews

Amazon Book Reviews
A good book review is worth more publicity than any newspaper or magazine article about your book. Spend 2 or 3 days contacting about 300 potential Amazon reviewers, expect to receive 40 to 50 responses and wind up with about 35 reviews. Its best to see what type of genre each reviewer specializes in.

Newspapers and Magazines:
Start with your local newspaper and find out who are the editors and writers that do book reviews call and/or write them tell them about your book and ask them if they will review it. Expand your search find the newspapers and magazines with the largest circulation and repeat the process example: New York Times and Boston Globe are a couple. Use the internet to find newspapers and magazines with large circulations and the writers that do book reviews.

What is an agent?
An agent is a middleman to publisher, interacts on your behalf should know the publishing industy, your buffer in legal matters, promotes your products. Always research your potential agent. Your agent should not cost you anything they should get a percentage of your ro

June 2009 - St. Louis, MO - Just when you thought what's next, where do we go from here comes a new book that puts the ups and downs of life's relationships at home, work, romance, with family and friends into perspective -- The Soul Of Poetry This book is an experience in enjoying the good times, enduring the bad times and learning from them both. This book tells people to move on don't live in the past plan a better future and laugh a little. The truth has a way of proving itself to us. We can learn the hard way or by listening to those who have experience either way we learn. The Soul Of Poetry transcends ethnic, social, and economic issues and brings us together in what we all have in common the human experience " life". You can get a copy of The Soul Of Poetry at www. fourstarpubishing.com. Through a blend of poetry, prose, verse, and rhyme William Dupree offers a " you can make it " help comes from having faith that you can overcome anything that puts itself in your path. Rediscover what we sometimes forget family, friends and moral values. Have a I can make it, I've got to make it attitude, then laugh a little life is not all that serious. by William Dupreee

Marketing For Authors - Six Great Ways to Market Your Book

As an author with a book to sell, I decided early on to learn as much as I could about the marketing aspect of the writing and publishing business that most authors know so little about. After all, we like writing and that is what we do. If we liked marketing, we would have gotten into that line of work, right? Well, the truth is that you may have written an incredible book, but no one will know about it and will not buy it unless you take steps to get the word out.

Whether your book was published in the traditional way or is self-published, it is your baby and no one other than you can speak as effectively regarding all aspects of it. No one will know as much or will be as passionate about it than you are. Luckily, there are relatively simple things you can do to publicize your work yourself. Furthermore, with technology being what it is and continually evolving, authors have more resources than ever at their disposal. Below are just six of the resources available to assist you:

1. Get a Website: In this day and age, it is important to establish an internet presence with a website or blog. In this medium, content is king. Utilizing your website to provide information about your book and area of expertise will help you to more quickly and easily connect with your audience.

2. Get a Blog: By regularly posting helpful content related to the subject area(s) in which you specialize, a blog, like a website, will help you establish a presence on the internet. Be sure to link your blog to your website.

3. Participate in Social Networking: Social Networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter provide a new and powerful opportunity, not just to network with other like-minded souls, but it provides another forum by which to get the word out about your book.

4. Speak on your topic: Another effective method to communicate with others about you book, is to speak on the topic. Instead of doing a book signing, arrange to make a brief presentation in bookstores, or to groups that could benefit from your message. Better yet, if your subject matter lends itself to it, develop a workshop and arrange to offer the workshop through local colleges or organizations.

5. Write Articles: Writing articles related to your subject matter can go a long way in affirming your knowledge and expertise, as well as helping readers find you. Articles can be posted on your blog or submitted to the various article submission sites.

6. Record Podcasts: Podcasts are an effective way in which to reach prospective readers via audio. Using a voice (audio) recording program, you can easily record, save and export a audio file as an MP3 and embed it in your blog or website.

Any and all of these methods can be used as means of effectively letting the world know your baby has arrived.

Lilia L. Fallgatter

How Can a Blog Help You Sell Your Book Online?

Traditionally, when a reader has a book in front of them, it is written, developed and, basically, a finished product.

Well, have you novel online is not traditional. With so many novels being posted online, the challenges of getting people to your site, then reading your work are as tough as before.

There are many ways to get readers involved with your work. Here are a few suggestions.

1 - if you have a complete novel, think about setting it up as a series that is emailed to the reader once or twice a week. Set the blog up so people can get to it easily after each chapter and allow them to post comments about it. Encourage people to give suggestions on what they think is about to happen next. Not only will the reader be personally involved, you may get better ideas or get some inspiration from the comments.

This may mean some rewriting, but which novelist hasn't had to do that before?

2 - if you are only half way through your novel, do the same thing as above. Serialise it. Set up a blog, am make it possible to let readers have influence.

3 - if you are brave, write a few core chapters, get your readers hooked into the story then offer several directions the story can lead down. Let readers vote, suggest and push their ideas through the blog. Then write the ideas that appeal most to you as the writer. With this you will need to have a decent following already and be confident you can write the material quickly and well. If you can, the reader will be incredibly involved in the story.

Blogs are also ways for people to ask you questions about how you write, get tips from you as a writer and to get to know you. People are fascinated with writers, give them an insight into your thinking through the blog.

Rodney Goodall writing a serialized fantasy novel. Using his membership site to first capture readers, then keeps them updated through emails about new chapters or blog updates which allows his readers to get more involved with the story. Rodney's goal is to be a full time writer, get published and to help other writers make their online presence and experience a positive one. by Rodney Goodall

How to Promote Books Online

Savvy authors who promote their books online have learned first hand what works and how to do it. They know how to balance low budget offline promotions with targeted online activities to stimulate book sales. There are an estimated 110 million books being sold online and thousands of book sellers. You have to be more than just concerned about how well your books are selling, you need to be proactive.

Build A Web Presence Not Just A Website

I'm sure you've heard that every writer needs an author website that reflects your brand. You also need to have a presence on social media sites, to help your book can stand out in today's crowded marketplace.

Facebook, Twitter, forums, Ning and other social networks are valuable tools for engaging with members of your target audience, that might not find your work during their regular online travels. It's a cost effective way to take your message beyond the streets and to the masses, and not to be used as a cheap way to spam people with your offers for your book.

How To Direct Readers To Your Book On The Internet

To reach book buyers you need to give them a variety of ways to connect with you and your book online. Here are some of the tools that work well for authors who take the time to learn how to use them. Sure, traditional media still works fine, but it's not the only way to stimulate book sales.

Website

Blog posts

Article syndication

Press releases

Book reviews

Online interviews

Social networking

Video interviews

Author pages

Virtual book tours

If you spread enough crumbs from your book using these powerful tools, you can attract new readers and have lots of roadsigns to point people and the media towards your website and places where they can purchase your books online.

Plan Your Work And Work Your Plan

Schedule time for each website update, blog posts, article syndication, press release, book review, radio interview, online interview, social networking, video interview, creating author pages, so they can all work together like a well oiled machine, to keep your books flying off the shelves.

It's enough work to make any author feel overwhelmed. Harness the power of networking, by building positive, powerful, profitable relationships with other like minded professionals. When you give your support to others, book reviewers, authors, booksellers, you open the window of opportunity for someone to lend support to your project.

If you find yourself falling behind or get too busy to put in the time required to reach book buyers online, be resourceful and pull together a team. Get friends, family co-workers or hire professionals to help you. George C. Fraser the networking guru puts it this way in his book "Click," "It takes team work to make the dream work."

EJ Jolivet reviews books online at his blog "Books About Houston," in it he covers Houston authors, books on Houston and what Houston is reading. by EJ Jolivet

Is Your Author Photo a Turn-Off?

Several years ago, I got some blunt feedback. A woman was brave enough to tell me that the photo on my book cover and website made me look old and boring. That stung!

However, she was right. I got some new photos done and noted a much more positive result. I love the photo I use on my website now and get positive comments on it all the time. I'm still the same person; the only change was in the skill of the photographer.

I saw a photo yesterday of a lovely professional woman in a feathery drape, sans blouse. It was a sexy photo and did not convey a message of, 'I'm a professional who can help you.' It would have been a more appropriate photo for a spouse or boyfriend instead of on her business website.

So, what constitutes a good professional author photo?

First, consider your ideal client or ideal reader. Then select clothing that you would wear to a meeting with that person. If you write for corporate executives, formal business attire is a must. On the other hand, if you write for teens or work at home Moms, a blouse or open collar shirt will communicate that you are approachable and accepting.

Ask a couple of trusted friends which colors are most flattering on you. If you have a strong color in your marketing materials, say a red logo, be sure to select clothing in a color that will compliment that color, not clash with it or be lost next to it.

Next, go to a professional photographer and get high quality photos. Sure, it may be tempting to have your friend take shots of you with a digital camera, but a professional photograph needs special lighting to bring out your best features.

When you get the proofs from your photographer, pay special attention to your eyes. Your eyes should look warm and have a sparkle. The real you should shine out from your eyes- compassionate, interested, and engaging.

If you notice a fearful or dull look, don't use that proof. The last thing you want people to think that you are afraid of the camera or stuffy. If they think you look blasé, how likely will they be to buy your book?

Outdoor shots can work well if they are professionally done and appropriate to your ideal reader.

Be cautious about using pets, funny hats, or costumes unless those props are closely tied to the message of your book. It's great to have a sense of humor, but your photo needs to represent your competence as well as your approachability. Anything that looks like a marketing gimmick will probably backfire.

If you have a current photo, plan to update it every three to five years to ensure that it matches your current appearance. The last thing you want to hear is "Oh, you are a lot older than you look on your website."

A better comment is "When I saw your website, I just knew I'd love your book!"

Want to create a successful book? Discover 8 book marketing blunders that you can avoid. Grab your free ecourse at www.bookmarketingblitz. Lynne Klippel is a publisher, author and book shepherd who specializes in helping authors write business building books. by Lynne Klippel

Online Book Launch - How to Become a Bestselling Author Using the Internet

If you're like most authors you have a very important message you desire to share with as many people around the globe as possible. With the information contained on these pages you are in a better position to achieve your goal. You will learn what you can do to reach large numbers of potential book buyers.

I have been an author for many years and I can assure you, hands down, a well planned and well executed online promotional campaign can open up incredible opportunities both in the short term and the long term.

Below is some essential information regarding what you can do to begin your book launch.

Online book launches can be a springboard into other opportunities such as additional product development, speaking and consulting jobs and increased expert status.

There are three phases to a successful campaign:

Phase I - Pre-launch preparation

Phase II - Launch

Phase II - Post launch

Checklist of what you need to do to launch your campaign:

• Create a budget for your launch
• Select the date of the launch
• Complete your book before the launch date
• Register your book with Amazon.com and Barnes&Noble.com
• Secure Joint Venture Partners
• Secure appropriate, high value bonuses
• All web design work done
• Copywrite various pieces of information for the campaign
• Automate your process
• Develop a backend plan for multiple streams of revenue

Take time before your book is published to plan your book launch. The more thought you put into marketing and promoting the book, the more likely it is that you will have a hugely successful book on your hands.

I am Kathleen Gage, The Street Smarts Marketer™, and I am an Internet marketing advisor who works with spiritually aware speakers, authors, coaches and consultants who are ready to turn their knowledge into money-making products and services. by Kathleen Gage

The Truth Behind Bestseller Books & The Systems Behind New York Times and Amazon Bestsellers

To very loosely paraphrase the Bard, what's in a bestseller?

That which we call a New York Times bestseller by any other name (such as "underground bestseller," or "Amazon bestseller") would smell as sweet-well, maybe not.

As the number of books published each year continues to skyrocket upwards, we face an onslaught of "bestseller" claims. We see the word on marketing materials and press releases, on book covers and websites, and, at Greenleaf Book Group, on many submission forms each week. If this bestseller crown has not been awarded by one of the major publications, such as the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, or USA Today, what kind of bestseller is it? The publisher may be partaking in sensationalist marketing-or just a stretch of the truth.

Whether the claim will benefit them or not depends on whom the publisher is targeting with this information. If the publisher intends to woo the consumer with bestseller claims on the book cover, yes, there's some chance it could help-although once your happy customer discovers the "bestseller" isn't as well-known as she thought, there may be repercussions. However, and this is a HUGE "however," a trumped-up claim of bestseller status could seriously hurt that publisher's reputation in the eyes of wholesalers, distributors, agents, and other parties in the tight-knit publishing industry, and that harm could result in books not getting on shelves. Note to all small publishers making larger-than-life bestseller claims: you're not pulling the wool over the industry's eyes.

Industry types have access to such fabulous tools as Nielsen's BookScan to research your sales history, and they will certainly consult them (amongst other resources) to corroborate your claims before making a decision to support your title. BookScan is a point-of-sale reporting service thought to reflect sales from approximately 70 percent of booksellers nationally. BookScan uses weekly data from over 6,500 retail, mass-merchant, and non-traditional outlets in combination with a statistical weighting methodology to present the most accurate information on sell-through available to the publishing industry. Certain notable accounts are missing, including Wal-mart, Sam's Club, airport bookstores, and Christian book retailers. Still, BookScan is a great gauge of sell-through, and as such, it is becoming increasingly influential in how sales are measured and bestseller lists are compiled.

While BookScan offers great insights into overall sales numbers and trends, it is not used exclusively (or sometimes at all) in building the prestigious bestseller lists. The holy grail of bestseller lists is the one published by the New York Times. The methodology behind how this list is built is kept rather hush-hush.

But most reports on the subject agree that the New York Times sends out a list of preselected trade titles (meaning titles you would find in a bookstore, not the boring academic titles like medical and law books that generally outsell them) to a selected group of close to five thousand retailers and wholesalers for them to record the books' weekly sales numbers. There are allegedly blank lines for the recipients of this survey to write in titles not included on the form. That's a quaint thought, but from what I know about inventory managers, highly unlikely to come into practice often.

With any bestseller list, it's important to note that it's a measurement of velocity of sales, not life of sales. A book that moves five thousand copies in one week is likely to make some list in some capacity when that week's numbers are run; however, a book that sells five hundred copies a week for ten weeks straight probably won't make any list at all. Lists also differ in how they categorize titles. For instance, the New York Times sorts by category (fiction, nonfiction, children's) and format (hardcover, trade paper). On the other hand, USA Today's list lumps them all together, from 1-150 by sales numbers, period. This means that a book listed at number one on the New York Times hardcover fiction list could be ranking in the triple digits on the USA Today list. Amazon.com's ranking system is a whole separate article in itself.

Differences in list-building aside, the notable bestseller lists are meant as a barometer of American culture. No list is 100 percent accurate, and none purport to be. Still, bestseller status on a major list is highly coveted, highly profitable, and highly protected specifically so that the word "bestseller" does not become meaningless. Use your sales history to support your efforts to expand your publishing endeavors, but be wary of making unsubstantiated bestseller claims lest you earn the wrath of industry types. Star-crossed lovers or not, that kind of behavior can bring a plague on all your houses.

by Tanya Hall

6 Surefire Ways to Promote Your Novel

The biggest mistake most novelists make when promoting their books is believing that it's all about book reviews. Wrong. Book reviews are valuable and securing them should be on any author or publisher's book promotion to-do list, but your novel deserves more widespread, long-term, and ongoing exposure than it can get through reviews alone. It deserves to be talked about month after month - as long as the book is available for purchase.

Here are six tips for helping you see the publicity and promotion value in your fiction so that you generate the ongoing buzz your book deserves:

1. Find the nonfiction nuggets in your manuscript and use them to create newsworthy material for relevant media outlets. Is your heroine a jilted wife starting over in the workforce as - let's say - an account executive at a high-flying packaging design firm who finds love with her client at a consumer products company? You've got publicity opportunities with the packaging and marketing trade magazines. Is she a radio jock? The female morning drive time personalities would love to interview you by phone.

What about locations, products, or services in your novel? A story set in a national park or a convenience store gives you news pegs for exposure in the relevant trade magazines. A character's obsession with a little known beverage brand could get your book into that company's employee newsletter. If you're writing your novel now, work in some nonfiction nuggets you can capitalize on later.

2. Use your content to identify promotion allies. Is your protagonist an athlete in a wheelchair? Connect with groups such as the National Wheelchair Basketball Association or the National Wheelchair Softball Association. What about the professions of the people in your book? Does it feature a secretary? Contact the Association of Executive and Administrative Professionals. There's an association for just about every profession.

But don't just send them a note that says, "I've written a book your members will love." Send a copy of the book with a letter outlining promotional possibilities and what's in it for them. You might offer to speak at their national meeting, do a Q&A for their member publication, or offer a discount to members.

3. Leverage what you uncovered while writing your book. Did you learn about a period in history or a specific region? Use this knowledge as a springboard for publicity. The author of an historical romance novel set in New York's Hudson River Valley, for example, can write and distribute a news release announcing the top romantic and historical attractions in that region or pitch a local newspaper or regional magazine on an article about the area's most romantic date destinations. Your goal is to be quoted as an expert source because this would require using your book title as one of your credentials.

4. Support your book with a good Web site designed by a professional. Your Web site has to be as good as your writing. It also has to contain information that convinces us that your books are worth buying and reading. It doesn't have to be slick, but it does need to be very well-written, attractive, useful, and enticing. We will assess your ability to tell a good story by your ability to communicate on your Web site, so the writing is crucial.

5. Get social. Focus on one or two social networking sites - Facebook now has more users than MySpace - and master the most effective and appropriate ways to use them to promote your book before spreading yourself too thin on several sites. Once you understand how the process works, expand to others and use new technology tools and resources such as those at TweetDeck and Ping.fm to streamline your information sharing across your networks.

6. Share the love. Help us connect with you by blogging about your writing process and experiences. Get excerpts up on your Web site and read portions to us via podcasts so we can get a feel for your writing and decide if the story is appealing. Give us enough online - on your Web site, blog, and through podcast download sites such as iTunes - to convince us we'd like your book.

There's no question that promoting fiction is harder than promoting nonfiction - but because of that, it's also more rewarding.

by Sandra Beckwith

How to Sell Your Book Using Twitter

Twitter is the fastest growing social media site on the internet. Do you know how to use it to sell your book?

Think of selling on Twitter in the same way you would go about using online dating. You have never used an online dating service? Let me help.

When it comes to online dating, you have to post your profile and then you can search the profiles of other members. If you have a photo on the site, you are more likely to get interest and make a connection.
Of course, that connection is not something rude but a friendly message that starts the dialogue.

The same is true on Twitter. You can't just set up a profile and start sending tweets (what the messages are called on Twitter) to get people to buy your book. In fact, this is the main problem many people don't get about Twitter. They start selling, rather than make friendly connections.

How to use Twitter to sell your book:

Step 1. Set up a blog

A blog is important since you want to be able to take a person on Tweeter into your home--which is your blog. While everyone has a website, a website tends to have the tone of an office not a home. A blog on the other hand is personable, and it reflects more about you as a person. After all, how impressed is your date with your cube at the office?

Twitter is social. A blog is social.

Step 2. Show up

Like a dating site, you have to sign up on Twitter and create a profile. You can use your name or part of your name for Twitter name. Or, you can use your book title. There is a trade-off.

Your name is friendly and it indicates you are going to be more likely to be a real person helping on Twitter. A book title will help to quickly identify that you are associated with a book and get some value when someone Google's your book title.

However, I recommend that you go with name. Twitter is social, so be real and use your name.

Oh yeah, you should post a photo rather than a book picture.

Your blog address will be posted on your Twitter page, so everyone who comes to your Twitter page can visit your blog.

Step 3. Add value

To add value means that you are giving your followers reasons to believe you are a helpful contributing member on Twitter. You add value by doing things like:

a. When you have a new blog entry that is related to your book and/or the area of interest your book is about, tweet about it and link it to your blog.

b. Tweet with people about things not about book. For example, if you have a dog, and notice that someone tweets about his dog, tweet back. While you are not selling your book, you are demonstrating that you are not just on Twitter to sell.

e. Have fun with Twitter. Twitter is a friendly, social meeting place that allows you to build relationships and sell your book.

Like online dating, you need to do more than show-up. You need to make an effort and start having conversations with potential dates.

Step 4: Build trust. Build the relationship. Get Sales

When you tweet about your blog posts, you are going to get people interested in what you have to say. Not everyone will visit your blog, but you will find that the more you post, the more visitors you will get into your home.

You have to kiss a lot of frogs to find your prince. On Twitter, there are no frogs and you don't have to find a prince. All you have to do is to get users to your blog. The more visitors, the more sales.

Use Twitter And Sales Will Happen
Twitter is a great place to interact with your potential readers and build a relationship that leads to sales. Don't be a pushy salesperson. Be real. Be a friend. You will be surprised how your sales will increase when you make an effort and use Twitter the right way.

Want to get more book sales online at little or no marketing cost? Mitchell Cogert is a successful marketing strategist with proven credentials having worked with top companies such as P&G, HP and Intuit. He uses this experience to help authors use online book marketing to get sales for their self-published and published work. To develop a plan that's right for your book, he starts with one-on-one Strategy Session. by Mitchell Coqert

How to Sell Books Online

It's not enough to have your book listed at Amazon.com if you want to sell books online. Nobody's going to find it unless a user types your exact title into a search box. You have to put up a series of specially crafted websites if you want to generate more online book sales.

Establish Multiple Book Websites
The obvious first step to take to increase your sales is to set up a group of book websites. You should create one website for your small publishing company and one for each of your books (except in the case of a series). You can host two or more website domains under the same company and just pay the domain renewal fee each year. This is definitely an investment you should make if you want your online book sales to take off.

SEO
If you don't know anything about SEO (search engine optimization), or you cringe when you hear the term, you had better get with the program! SEO is how people make money online. What's the first thing that you do when you go online to find something? Type a keyword phrase into a search engine like Google or Yahoo. That is what search engine optimization is all about.

There is a science to how to set up your book website so that people can find it using a search engine. So if you want to sell books online, you must study up on SEO and hire writers who specialize in search engine optimization to create your website content.

Blog
Once you have your book websites up and they are SEO optimized, now you have one more important step to take if you want to successfully sell books online. Go to Wordpress.com or Blogger.com and start an account under your author name. Start writing blog posts related to your book, events, and yourself, once or twice a week. Be sure to type in your book website addresses in each blog post. This will help make your book websites more relevant to search engines and help increase your online book sales over time.

Are you ready to finally set up your book websites and blog the right way? Do you already have a website that is just sitting out there in cyberspace, doing nothing for your book sales? Don't give up on it-take action. My eBook "How to Sell Thousands of Self-Published Books" will give you a step by step process for starting your book website (including ideal services to use), how to use blogs (and what to write in them each week), and how to get more sales online while you sleep. by Penelope Thompson

You Wrote a Book? Here's a Quick and Dirty Book Marketing Plan You Can Use Right Now

You've poured your heart and soul into publishing your book. Now you might be wondering if you'll need to empty your wallet to promote it.

It doesn't have to be so. Here is a quick and dirty book marketing plan you can use right now. This doesn't cover all the bases by any means, but following these steps will get you started in the right direction. And they might even inspire some ideas of your own!

You start by creating your business cards. Make sure you include your contact information, the URL of your website or blog, and the name of your book. For your title, you can say something like, "Author of..." If you have a quality printer, you can print your own business cards, but if possible, I do recommend having them professionally printed.

You could also have bookmarks made instead of regular business cards. While we might be tempted to throw away a business card when we're cleaning out our wallets, your bookmark has a practical purpose, so we'll probably hold onto it a little longer. Again, a professional print job is worth the extra expense here.

Now that you have your business cards or your bookmarks, it's time to start giving them away. You can post them on public bulletin boards, leave them inside library books, give them to people you meet in your every day life or at networking functions.

You're also ready to hold an event to celebrate the launch of your new book. Arrange a speaking engagement on the topic of your book, then invite the public. Once the event is arranged, send out press releases and announcements to your local media.

Most cities have a way to broadcast free events, so be sure to take advantage of those. In your press release, focus on the benefits people will receive when they attend your event... not the fact that they'll be able to buy your book.

At the event, have your bookmarks or business cards on hand to give out. You can also hold a draw for a few copies of your books.

One way to hold a draw is to invite people to sign up for your newsletter, then draw names of the winners from the list. Also have copies of your book on hand to sell.

And now that you have subscribers for your newsletter, it's time to send one out! The people who signed up for your newsletter are interested in staying in touch with you and learning more about your topic. You can help them by writing articles on your topic and sending them out in your newsletters. Make sure you include a link where they can purchase your book too.

Want to get more subscribers? It's easy. You know the articles you wrote for your newsletter? Now submit them to the websites, blogs, newsletters, even magazines your target market reads.

by Denise Willms

Product Creation - 4 Steps to Creating a Tele-Seminar

One of the common ways in which traditional business attract prospect is by organizing seminars and conventions wherein they invite delegates and prospects. The intention is to promote a product or introduce a new technology or to talk about the advances in the field. It is a platform where there is a good amount of networking and sharing of information. The same concept brought to the internet is called a Tele-seminar. It is a virtual meeting place where people gather together to listen to one or more speakers to learn more about a product or technology. If you want to organize a Tele-seminar, you need to follow the following 4 steps.

1. Prepare your content: The most important thing is to prepare what you want to talk about. this depends on whom you are targeting and what is the purpose of the Tele-seminar. The main thing to note is that people are not going to come to listen to your sales talk. They are coming to get some valuable information. So 95% of your content has to do with information that will help solve people's problems. When you give first, you can ask later. That is the simple principle of internet marketing.

2. Create the marketing campaign: Making a success of your Tele-seminar requires a great deal of planning, designing and implementing the marketing campaign and sending out invites to your list of prospects. The first place to start is your website by announcing the Tele-seminar and the process of registering for it. Then post a blog update and send out tweets to your followers. Then use your auto-responder to email the invite to all the members in your list and ask them register. You might need to schedule some reminder emails.

3. Bring in guest experts: to make your Tele-seminar more interesting, it is a good idea to get in some guest speakers or industry experts. This helps to reinforce the message that your products are good even if no one explicitly promotes them. People love to listen to experts and take their advice seriously. If you talk about your own products, it might seem blatant selling but if an expert talks about them, you get credibility.

4. Check your settings: Check the technical details of getting the Tele-seminar online. Make sure you have equipment to support the number of callers you are expecting to attend. There are many companies that offer Tele-seminar services which you can hire on a per hour basis. This might be a good option as you do not have to worry about the technicalities and focus on your content.

The above 4 steps will help you to develop your first Tele-seminar successfully.

Do you want to learn more about how I do it? I have just completed my brand new guide to article writing to build your list: Download it free here: Secrets of Article Writing Want to learn how to increase your online income by effortlessly creating high priced products that your customers need and desire? Find out more here: Create High Ticket Products Fast Janet Cole is a powerful coach and online mentor. She has over 613 articles in print and has created over 13 different products. by J B Cole

TeleSeminar Essentials - The Mute Button

All bridge line providers offer a number of controls for the host. The biggest one is the mute button.

You should test everything the day before, just like a speaker at a conference inspects the room and sound system. Get a friend on line and test quality and the mute button. And test the recording mechanism if you use one connected to the bridge line.There are a number of free conference services that offer recordings at the touch of a button.

On the day of the event you should be online at least 5 minutes before, listening for any problems and turning ON the mute botton and turning OFF the bongs that announce new connections.

You should use a recorded countdown that tells those who dial in "The seminar will begin in 90 seconds.." When the countdown hits zero, start with a bang, don't hang back. A socko headline will back up and confirm all your pre conference fluff. "In the next 60 minutes, you will discover twelve reasons why..."

It is not in your best interest to engage attendees in idle chit chat before hand. A speaker at a conference does not hang legs over the edge of the stage and talk to the front row until introduced.

Your teleseminar is a deal just as big as the speaker at the convention. It takes as much preparation, precision timing and a flair for show biz. Luck for you, you can do it in your jammies and use crib notes.

by Mike McDaniel

TeleSeminar Essentials - HTML

There are web designers, and there are marketers. There are few web designers who are marketers. The result is many websites look really snazzy and don't sell a thing.

Worse, because the daunting world of HTML language has so many people buffaloed, many people wanting to test the waters of TeleSeminar production turn to expensive web designers for a first website. Examine all the possibilities before you dig deep to see if your idea will fly.

The sad case is, HTML is not really scary. You don't have to take a course to understand the basics of HTML. Plus, there are many completely free HTML editors out there, with tutorials, so you can put up a basic sales page, and change it, without waiting for the "expert" to get around to it.

There are also programs out there called WYSIWYG which operate a lot like any word processor. When you are done with a page, it is already coded and ready to go to your website. Imagine creating a webpage as easily as creating a simple word processing document.

The HTML editor KompoZer comes to mind. You can get it free and install it on about 30 seconds. You can open a simple HTML page and edit all you want, knowing nothing about the language. Click save and you have a new web page. Or start with a clean sheet and build a page from the ground up.

You can even insert the autoresponder code you need when you build a squeeze page (the sales page that "squeezes" the name and email from the reader).

Set aside one weekend to get familiar with WYSIWYG and KompoZer and in no time you will be in control of your web destiny, and saving designer money. You can look 'em both up in Google.

A winning TeleSeminar is more than just picking up the phone.

by Mike McDaniel

How Technology Improvements in Technology Can Improve Your Teleseminars

Teleseminar or teleconference calls are often a mixed bag of misadventures. Teleseminar service technology in most cases doesn't solve many of these situations and that can ruin the quality of the teleseminar and the host's ability to create a quality digital product from it. However, new technology is coming out that provides a workaround for many of the issues that frequently plague these calls. Read on for some of the ways in which you can use new technologies to create a flawless teleseminar.

1. A simple and easy way to interact with guests

There should be a way to interact with guest that is very easy and simple. The technology should let the teleseminar moderator individually control which participant can talk when they have a question or comment. This means allowing those listeners who want to ask questions to be unmuted on a per listener basis. The kind of technology that would have this functionality would be a "raised hand" feature where the moderator would know those participants that want to ask a question to signal the host. This way, the moderator would know which specific caller to unmute so the caller can ask their question, and keep all the other callers on mute to avoid unwanted noise from the other callers.

2. Ability to adjust individual microphone volume

Have you ever been on a call where one presenter has a low volume that you can just barely hear, while another presenter has a very high volume? It is very distracting for the participants on the call because they are constantly getting switched from hard-to-hear to way-too-loud. A great feature that would eliminate this problem, and allow for a smooth call, would be for the moderator to be able to control the individual volumes of the presenters and guests. Technology has come far enough to where the moderator can actually adjust the output volume of individual members on the call.

3. Ability to call hosts missing from the teleconference

If there are multiple hosts or presenters participating in the teleconference call, the probability that one of the hosts or presenters missing in action increases dramatically. The current technology forces the moderator to use a second line to track down the missing presenter. If the moderator has no other line to use, they have to hang up to track down the missing presenter, and then hope they can call back in again if the teleclass is full. If they are using a service that disconnects all of the guests if the moderator hangs up, then the moderator has to wait and hope the missing presenter remembers to call in, or send them a flurry of frantic emails.

A solution to this problem would be to have a "dial-out" feature with your teleconferencing service. This would allow the moderator to directly call the missing presenter directly from the teleseminar hosting service and that way they don't ever have to leave the teleconference call.

The quality of your teleconference depends greatly on the teleseminar service you use. Until recently, the technology wasn't able to overcome many of the common problems that frequently crop up during the teleseminar. The most helpful part is to know the service providers that can solve these issues and not break the bank. There are very few services that are currently available which are also affordable AND solve most of the technological issues that can often plague a teleclass.

B. Hopkins is an Internet business strategist who reviews services that are used to create successful revenue generating internet strategies for the entrepreneur. Go to this teleseminar service that will increase your profits and decrease your costs, go to: Teleseminar hosting service. by B. Hopkins